by Hunt, Jack
Thick black smoke twirled upwards.
Denise was a quarter of the way up when she looked down then up at Erika and laughed. That was when Erika pressed the button to close the island.
“No. No!” she yelled climbing faster but it was too late.
The island sealed over her, trapping her inside the bunker.
Her screams were the last thing Erika heard.
Hurrying over to Gus, she removed his handgun and looked down at him. A smile flickered on his face as if he was approving of what Erika had done to Denise, or admiring her will to survive. She didn’t bother to waste a bullet on him. He couldn’t move. He would soon burn in the inferno as the fire below would increase in heat and size. The door burst open and Tyler rushed in, raking his rifle back and forth.
“You have a habit of showing up late,” Erika said.
He shrugged. “What can I say?” he replied, a smile appearing.
Nate appeared at his side and his eyes darted around the room. “Where is she?”
Erika shifted her eyes.
Smoke seeped out from underneath the breakfast island answering his question. They hurried out the front of the cabin and made their way towards the tree line.
“How did you find us?” Erika asked as she emerged. At that moment Bailey came bounding over, her tail wagging. Tyler gave a nod to the mutt.
“You can thank her. One hell of a dog you got there,” Tyler said.
Erika put her face up to Bailey’s and she licked her. Erika had just risen when Denise came bursting out of the main entrance, her entire body on fire, screaming. Erika’s heart leapt into her throat as she turned and unloaded a round. She wasn’t sure whether it was the bullet or the fire that killed her but as Denise rushed forward, she collapsed, and the fire consumed what remained of her charred flesh.
They all stood there for a second transfixed as if expecting her to get up but she didn’t. Instead, the flames caught hold of the log cabin and tongues of fire licked up into the night sky filling the air with smoke and ash.
Epilogue
Two days passed before the funeral for Ella and her unborn child. Tyler was shocked to learn of her death, and Corey was too distraught to repeat what happened so he heard it from his father. He was probably the worst one to hear it from, as he was so cold and unfeeling in the way he shared it. It rolled off his lips like he was recounting his to-do list. “Yeah, and we have to bury Ella and the baby. Then we’ve got to get everyone to the cabin, and—”
“What?” Tyler had said cutting him off.
His father repeated it. Tyler was too taken aback by the news to react to the manner in which his father delivered it, instead all he could do was look at Corey and feel his pain. Not wishing to make waves or upset anyone any further he’d agreed with his father to head back to the cabin. When his father learned of what Denise had in mind, he wasn’t surprised. Though what had got his attention was Erika’s and Nate’s will to survive. “Perhaps there is hope for them,” he said walking away as they unloaded the truck with more supplies they’d gathered from a storage locker that belonged to his father. He came to learn that whatever his father hadn’t taken from his store he’d placed into storage, knowing full well that people would loot.
Even for that he was prepared.
In the secluded privacy of the forest, surrounded by the lake and hilly landscape, they laid to rest Ella. Unlike the funeral of his mother that he’d attended many years ago, Ella’s funeral was a private event. Only him, his family, Nate, Erika, a reverend and a few others attended. Despite having witnessed many of his Marine buddies die in combat, the death of his fiancé and unborn child broke Corey.
Tyler felt like a fly on the wall as he listened to the reverend say a prayer over the grave that was marked by a cross, and a small stone with their names, and the date of Ella’s birth and death. Tyler knew he’d learn more in the coming days but he wasn’t going to press Corey.
A beautiful sun flooded the forest floor that morning where she was laid to rest. On the muddy banks of the lake, Erika slipped her arm around Tyler’s as if to provide some level of comfort. But it wasn’t him who needed it. His eyes lifted towards his brother across from him. Tears rolled down Corey’s cheeks. There had only been two times in his life he’d seen his brother cry — once after his father had beat him for some unknown transgression, the other was when their mother died. His father stood stoic, unmoved by the scene, occasionally locking eyes with Tyler. Not once did he show an ounce of comfort or love as a father towards Corey. Tyler stared at the mound. He hadn’t really got to know Ella. The few things he’d learned were from what his brother had said. But one thing he was sure about, she had been a rock in his life and without her who knew how he would be.
As the service came to a close and people began to leave, Tyler watched his father pat Corey on the back and mutter something. The reaction he got from Corey was one of disbelief or hurt. Tyler could only imagine what he’d said.
“You okay, Tyler?” Erika asked.
He nodded. “I need to speak to my father. Alone. You can head back. Thanks.”
She smiled and walked away with Nate.
“Hey,” Tyler said, calling out to his father who was heading towards the stables.
Andy looked back.
“Tyler. Erika was telling me what you did with Denise and all that. That’s uh...”
“You don’t need to say anything.”
“Okay,” he said turning back towards the stables.
Tyler followed. He hesitated for a second before he asked him. “December 13, 1992. What happened on that day?”
His father stopped walking and cast a glance over his shoulder.
“Where did you hear that date?”
“Jude.”
He snorted. “It doesn’t matter.”
“It matters to me.”
“This is not the time. Go be with your brother. I’m sure he needs someone about now.”
Tyler scoffed. “Even when your son is grieving you have no heart.”
“People die all the time, Tyler. And many more will. There’s no time to grieve.”
Tyler scoffed. “Really? Then why did you hit the bottle after mom’s death?”
He turned sharply and gave him a stern look. “Watch it.”
“December 13, 1992. Tell me what it’s about?”
“You don’t want to know.”
“Enough with your bullshit games. What are you hiding?”
Andy shifted his weight and got this smug look on his face. “Did you find what you were searching for when you met Jude?”
Tyler caught up with his father and grabbed him by the arm. Years ago, when he was younger, he wouldn’t have dared do that. “Answer the question.”
His father stared at him and shook his head. “I figured he would do this. Typical.”
“Answer it.”
Andy narrowed his eyes. “You want to know? It was the day I caught Jude and your mother together.”
Tyler’s brow furrowed. “What?”
“Nine months later, you were born.”
Tyler shook his head slowly and backed up a little. “No.”
“I wanted to tell you but I made a promise to your mother.”
“No.”
“It’s true.”
“And Corey?”
“He’s mine.”
Tyler swallowed hard. “Did he know?”
Andy looked back at him. “I never told him but… I think he knew.”
“No. Nah. This is another one of your head games.”
“It’s true, Tyler.”
Tyler stared in amazement. “That’s why you were harder on me than him. Wasn’t it?” Tyler asked, thinking of all the times that his father had come down on him over the smallest of things and yet more often than not if Corey did the same, he would let it slide. He could never figure out why. He always thought he favored him but now it made sense. “You hated Jude for what he did so you took it out on me.”
&
nbsp; “I…” Andy said, his words vanishing. Tyler backed up staring at him and shaking his head unable to grasp it and yet deep down knowing it was true. It all made sense. But why had his mother kept it from him? Why hadn’t Jude stepped in and told him? Why wait until now? Questions bombarded his mind, too fast, too many. Overwhelmed by all that had occurred, Tyler was at a loss for words. He backed up and turned to take a horse out. “Where are you going?”
“It doesn’t matter,” he said, tossing Andy’s words back at him. “Does it?”
Inside the stables he expected his father to stop him but he never did. And just like that, Tyler gave the horse a nudge and it broke into a gallop, heading out of the stables.
Outside, further up the hill near his father’s cabin, Erika looked back. She was talking with Nate. “Tyler? Where are you going?” she called out.
He didn’t reply. Instead, he gripped the reins tighter and urged the horse to hurry.
An hour later in Camp Olney, Jude was sitting on a log around a campfire eating food and discussing the future with a handful of his most trusted confidants when a horn was blown. All of them looked off towards the gates. There was only one reason it was used and that was when there was a security breach.
“Harper, what have we got?” Jude shouted to one of the armed guards in the makeshift tower.
“One rider.”
“How the hell did they get through? Who is it?”
“Can’t tell,” he said. “Hood’s up, head down.”
“Are they armed?”
“Yep. But they’ve raised their rifle and…”
Jude and his son Maddox hurried towards the entrance. “Open the gates,” he shouted. A few handles were cranked, and bolts shifted out of place and large wooden gates were pulled back to reveal a lone rider on a horse. The rider tossed back their hood and that was when Jude smiled. It was Tyler.
“What the hell’s he doing back here?” Maddox asked.
“Settle down. Go alert the others. I want everyone on their toes.”
Maddox didn’t move. He scowled.
“Go!” Jude said, waiting for Tyler to get closer.
“Tyler,” he said, a smile forming on his face. “Welcome back.”
The horse halted on the rocky path and Tyler dismounted. Two of Jude’s men rushed forward and patted him down, removing a handgun from his holster.
“Impressive. How did you manage to get through our defenses?”
“You’ve got holes.” Tyler said, before sniffing the air and scanning the camp. Behind Jude, amid a crowd that had gathered, he spotted Allie. The one that had warned him. She gave a nod and melted into the crowd.
Jude smirked.
“So. Did he tell you everything?”
Tyler sighed and shook his head. “Not everything.”
Jude offered back a thin smile and beckoned him in. “Then I guess it’s time you knew the rest. Come on in… son.”
THANK YOU FOR READING
Rules of Darkness will be out in April
Please take a second now to leave a review. Even a few words is really appreciated. Thanks kindly, Jack.
A Plea
Thank you for reading Rules of Conflict: Survival Rules Series Book 2. If you enjoyed the book, I would really appreciate it if you would consider leaving a review. Without reviews, an author’s books are virtually invisible on the retail sites. It also lets me know what you liked. It also motivates me to write more books. You can leave a review by visiting the book’s page. I would greatly appreciate it. It only takes a couple of seconds.
Thank you — Jack Hunt
Readers Team
Thank you for buying Rules of Conflict: Survival Rules Series Book 2, published by Direct Response Publishing.
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About the Author
Jack Hunt is the best-selling author of horror, sci-fi and post-apocalyptic novels. He currently has over thirty books published. Jack lives on the East coast of North America. If you haven’t joined Jack Hunt’s Private Facebook Group you can request to join by clicking here now. This gives readers a way to chat with Jack, see cover reveals, and stay updated on upcoming releases. There is also his main facebook page below if you want to browse.
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